With the United States Presidential Election set for next month, the concern over fake news has once again dominated public discourse. Fake news — the deliberate spreading of verifiably false information under the disguise of being an authentic news story ­— not only undermines the public’s confidence in the free press, it inflames social conflict, can result in health hazards (like swallowing bleach in an attempt to avoid COVID-19), gives rise to radicalism, undermines the integrity of elections, and manipulates markets. In short, fake news threatens the social trust we have in our institutions and in each other. Common solutions …

A recent study showed that Latin America represents 7% of the entire global cryptocurrency economy. Out of that segment, Mexico has captured almost 11% of all retail crypto payments since July 2019. El Economista cited research by Daniel Cartolin, a development representative from the blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, which showed that the region has received $24 million in retail crypto transactions and sent $25 million to other continents over the past year. The representative highlighted that remittances and trade are sectors with a major presence in retail crypto transactions within Latin America. The country's strong ties with both North America …

The recent health scare surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak seems to have accelerated the move toward a cashless society, with cashless payment spiking in concert with viral cases. Yet, our findings in a Genesis Mining study called “Perceptions and Understanding of Money 2020” indicate that a significant majority of Americans are not psyched about parting with their paper money on a permanent basis. To be more specific, we found that 60% of respondents are opposed to the idea of paper money being replaced with “digital-only money.” This could be a “devil-you-know” versus a “devil-you-don’t-know” situation where familiarity with paper money is …

Researchers at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance recently revealed that 100 million people around the world currently hold Bitcoin (BTC) and other blockchain-based assets. In 2018, the 2nd Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study estimated the number of identity-verified crypto users at about 35 million globally. As of Q3 2020, there are up to 191 million accounts opened at crypto exchanges — a figure which doesn’t include self-hosted wallets. The researchers explained the significant increase: “This 189% increase in users may be explained by both a rise in the number of accounts (which increased by 37%), as well as a greater …

The cryptocurrency market is still in its infancy, and the overpowering sense of possibility is strong. The range of attitudes toward crypto is generally broad, but recent surveys shed light on certain inclinations one way or another. On one hand, we see beginners who venture into projects they fail to fully grasp, and on the other, we see aspirants to crypto investing who question their capability of getting involved. At one end of the spectrum are the crypto dilettantes, where interestingly, understanding and confidence tend to be inversely correlated. Last year, Dutch bank ING interviewed around 10,500 people in Europe …

A survey conducted by pioneering digital music store eMusic revealed that most of their service’s users were open to paying with crypto if it allowed artists to earn more. The survey — shared exclusively with Cointelegraph — revealed that 65% of eMusic customers would use cryptocurrency if it was for the aforementioned reasons. It is worth noting that a mere 8% of the respondents had used Bitcoin (BTC) or any other crypto in the past. Per the announcement, 800 eMusic users answered questions about cryptocurrencies and their use in the music industry. Survey data revealed that 40% of music listeners …

Open communication on the downsides, benefits, and educational programs could help to increase trust in cryptos and create a positive outlook towards technologies such as blockchain. Those were the findings in Edelman’s study published on May 12. The global communications firm concluded that the more people know about crypto, the more they see the potential for the positive impact they can have. The report says that 35% of people surveyed believe that blockchain and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) could have a positive effect as emerging technologies. Widespread lack of communication? Speaking with Cointelegraph, Javier Pastor, chief sales officer for Spain-based …

Cryptocurrency exchanges are used by cryptocurrency holders to store their crypto assets or to trade cryptocurrencies. There are hundreds of exchanges available today, and it can be difficult for cryptocurrency holders to choose which exchange best suits their needs. In fact, most traders use more than one exchange — both to hedge risk and to minimize benefits. How do traders make their decisions? Below, you’ll find some interesting and even surprising insights. How was this survey conducted? In this survey, the BDCenter digital agency teamed up with the sociology department of the Belarus State University, publishing the report in October, …

Distributed ledger technology, colloquially termed “blockchain,” is making a bold promise to help bring the trade industry into the digital age. To help shed light on the intricate workings of the technology and the role that it is playing in the international trade industry, Trade Finance Global partnered up with the World Trade Organization earlier this month to produce a 56-page report titled “Blockchain & DLT in Trade: A Reality Check,” endorsed by the International Chamber of Commerce. David Bischof, deputy director at the ICC’s finance for development hub, shared in a private interview: “This ‘Blockchain & DLT in Trade’ …

The number of Americans who own cryptocurrencies has almost doubled in 2019, from 7.95% in 2018 to 14.4%, according to a new survey by Finder. 36.5 million Americans own crypto Finder, an Australia-based financial services firm, has surveyed 2,068 Americans to figure out that 36.5 million people in the United States own some form of crypto to date. Titled “A rising number of Americans own crypto,” the survey was released on Oct. 14, as Finder tweeted. Average $5,447 holdings versus $360 median amount According to the survey, the average amount out of the totally owned crypto by Americans accounts for …

The carbon emissions generated by bitcoin (BTC) are comparable to the whole of Kansas City, and even a small country, according to a study published in the Joule journal on June 12. Christian Stoll, one of the researchers involved in the project, said the large energy consumption generated through mining translates into a significant carbon footprint. And, as the computing power needed to solve a bitcoin puzzle has more than quadrupled since last year, it is a problem that is getting worse, the study notes. It adds: “The magnitude of these carbon emissions, combined with the risk of collusion and …

94% of endowments have been allocating to crypto-related investments throughout 2018, a new survey published on April 12 reveals. The study was conducted in Q4 2018 by trade publications Global Custodian and The Trade Crypto, in partnership with blockchain security firm BitGo. Out of 150 surveyed endowments, 89% of the respondents were reportedly based in the United States, with the rest either in the United Kingdom or Canada. The survey indicated that despite widely-reported concerns around regulation, custody and liquidity, endowments will continue to allocate investments to the new asset class — with only 7% of respondents saying they anticipated …